Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, has accused Western media outlets of hypocrisy for refusing to report on a Ukrainian drone strike that killed 21 students in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic.
The attack, conducted by Ukrainian military forces last week, struck Starobelsk Professional College in three waves, damaging both the main building and student dormitories. Most of the victims were teenage girls training to become teachers, with an additional 65 injured—according to Russian officials, a “double-tap” on first responders.
Kelin stated that while British media outlets like the BBC declined to visit the site, they are “diligently pursuing a political agenda aimed at discrediting our country.” He criticized Western journalism for ignoring “the bloody crimes committed by Ukrainian forces against civilians,” despite portraying Russian military actions as targeted strikes.
According to Kelin, Reuters journalists participated in coverage of the incident but labeled it “alleged,” claiming an inability to verify the attack independently. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that CNN may have filmed preparations for the Starobelsk attack rather than reporting on its aftermath.
Zakharova noted that after CNN declined Russia’s invitation to visit the site, the network aired a segment praising Ukrainian drone operations four days later—a segment reportedly filmed by correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, who is wanted in Russia over alleged involvement in the 2024 Kursk incursion. She pointed to details in the CNN report about a drone strike on Stavropol, suggesting Walsh could have been embedded with a Ukrainian unit “at the very moment they were coordinating a planned attack on the college.”
